The Play's the Thing
by Kristen3
Summary: On the night of David's school play, Niles is late. Can Daphne forgive her husband for what he couldn't help? Fluffy one-shot. Rating is for minor profanity.


**Author's Note:**Thanks to Leigh Ann (**leighann415**) for making a suggestion! This bit of fluff was partly inspired by real events, but not as dramatic as this. Enjoy!

Daphne sighed as she looked at her watch again. She was sitting in the auditorium of David's elementary school, waiting for the play to start. His class was doing _The Wizard of Oz_, and David was playing a Munchkin. He was so excited. Daphne had never seen her son so enthusiastic about going to school before! Of course, he also had the normal stage fright, but Daphne had assured David that she and Niles would be proud of him no matter what.

"He'll be here, Daphne," Roz said, putting a reassuring hand on Daphne's arm. "Niles would never miss a thing like this. You know how he and Frasier love to go on about their school plays." Roz laughed, remembering Frasier's many tales of his days at Bryce Academy.

But Daphne did not see the humor. "The show starts in ten minutes! David was so looking forward to this, and his dad's going to miss it. He'll be crushed." She pressed the speed dial on her cellphone for what seemed to be the millionth time. Her frustration only increased. "Damn. His bloody voicemail."

Martin leaned over, wanting to calm his daughter-in-law. "He's probably just stuck in traffic. You know how Niles is about safety." He tried to offer her a comforting smile.

Daphne knew he was right. Niles always insisted that a driver's phone be off so that there would be no temptation to text at a red light. But that did little to make her feel better. To her dismay, she saw the curtain onstage beginning to go up. David's teacher stood there, addressing the parents and relatives.

"Well, we'd all like to welcome you to our third grade production of _The Wizard of Oz_. The kids have certainly worked hard, but they've had a lot of fun adapting this classic story to the stage. I hope you will be as proud of them as I am." A quiet round of applause sounded. The teacher smiled. "Without further ado, I'd like to transport you all to a small farm in Kansas." She turned, revealing the set for the first scene.

Instead of being sucked into the tornado along with Dorothy, Daphne could not shake the anger at her husband. He knew what a big night this was for David! She sat there, trying to concentrate on the play, but thoughts of Niles kept creeping in. What on Earth could be so important he couldn't be here?

Niles parked his car and raced into the building. He quickly followed signs in the hallway to the auditorium. He quietly opened a door, hoping he would disturb anyone. To his relief, he saw that the play was still going on, and, as luck would have it, he'd arrived at the same time Dorothy landed in Oz. Rather than try to find a seat near Daphne, Niles chose to stand at the back of the room. But he saw that he'd just made it in time to see David's big scene. His son stood in the back of the crowd of Munchkins. Niles' heart soared, seeing his son on stage. It made him recall many of his own experiences with school plays.

The play continued, and Dorothy met the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. For an elementary school production, the costumes were quite impressive. Niles found himself choking up a bit when Dorothy was informed she'd had the ability to go home all along. When the play ended, the crowd cheered. No one clapped harder than Niles.

Once the applause died down, Niles quickly found his family. "I am so sorry!" Immediately, he saw the look on Daphne's face.

"Glad you could finally squeeze us in!" Daphne knew she should be relieved that Niles hadn't been in accident, but her anger far outweighed anything else.

"I'm terribly sorry," Niles said. "Just when I was getting ready to leave, Mrs. Johnson came running into my office. She was going to leave her husband."

Daphne was dumbfounded. She knew how much Niles cared for his patients, but how could a stranger's marital troubles be more important than this?

"She loves her husband, and he loves her! I had to talk her out of throwing away twenty years of marriage for nothing." Niles sighed, seeing his wife was unmoved. "I know I should have been here, but it couldn't be helped. Once I got Mrs. Johnson calmed down, I came straight here. Unfortunately, I hit just about every red light between the office and here."

Somehow, Daphne's anger deflated, if only slightly. He couldn't have controlled the traffic. It wasn't all his fault.

"I missed the beginning, but I did get to see David. He did an amazing job! I've never been prouder of him."

The obvious pride in Niles' expression took away what anger remained. Just as Daphne was about to kiss her husband, David ran up, still wearing his costume.

"Dad, you made it! Did you see me?!"

"Yes, son. You were a perfect Munchkin!" Niles pulled David into a tight hug.

Then Martin took a turn embracing the boy. "You were the best one in all of Oz."

"Really, Grandpa?"

Martin nodded. He remembered missing his share of his sons' plays over the years. Even though his work as a cop was important, it didn't mean he couldn't have supported Frasier and Niles' interests. Their relationships had changed since then, but there were things Martin would always regret.

Even Daphne hugged and kissed David. "I'd say you were the hit of the play."

David blushed. "Thanks, Mom."

Martin glanced at Ronee. She wasn't quite as moved by David as the others were, but she knew he was a good kid. "This is a pretty special night," Martin said. "Why don't Ronee and I take us all out for ice cream?"

For a moment, Daphne was tempted to say no. It was a school night, after all. And neither Martin or David really should eat junk food. But she knew Martin loved to spoil his grandson. "All right," said said with a smile, slipping her hand into Niles'. As they made their way to their cars, Daphne thought about the story of _The Wizard of Oz_. It wasn't that different from her own life, she realized. Just like Dorothy, one day, fate led her to a place far different from what she was used to. And, in the same way Dorothy found herself surrounded by the Tin Man and others who became her friends, Daphne had found a family she'd never imagined.

**The End**


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